Yes, There Are Cosmetic-Only Microtransactions in Borderlands 3

In what’s shaping up to be one of the strangest controversies of 2019, 2K Games finally confirmed that Borderlands 3 will, in-fact, have cosmetic-only DLC. This confirmation comes after the Borderlands 3 gameplay reveal event caused some controversy over whether or not the upcoming looter shooter would feature microtransactions.

When contacted by Eurogamer, 2K, who publishes the Borderlands series, provided the following statement in an attempt to clear any confusion:

Players will have the option to purchase certain cosmetic items like character, vehicle, and weapon skins, but none of these purchases would be considered pay-to-win or impacting on the gameplay, like weapons or actual gear.

During the event, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford made a point to mention that Borderlands 3 “won’t have microtransactions.” While his intention was to mean Borderlands 3 wouldn’t feature premium currency or lootboxes, Pitchford’s comments made it seem like it wouldn’t feature any sort of purchasable content.

However, similar to Borderlands 2, players can purchase in-game cosmetics with their own money, though none of it will have a direct impact on gameplay. It will also feature story-based DLC, though obviously details on that are slight. Pitchford’s statements were somewhat confusing and self-contradictory, but things didn’t seem to make much of an impact at the time. Borderlands 3 will also feature free in-game cosmetic drops as loot, as well.

There are Borderlands 3 Microtransactions, but for Cosmetic Items Only

The events that followed after, though, were when things truly seemed to go off the rails. A tweet from Game Informer led Pitchford to go on a number of Twitter rants. If you so desire, you can catch up on this “feud” over on his account. The whole issue seems to stem from an issue over what the definition of a microtransaction truly is. But, either way, Borderlands 3 does feature in-game purchases, but only to make your character and gear look cooler.

However, there’s much more to Borderlands 3 than it’s downloadable content. We recently went hands-on with the long-awaited sequel, where we got an in-depth look at the deep skill tress the Vault Hunters have access to.